


A Philosophy to Live By

by VivaJayne



Series: Fairy Tail Fluff [3]
Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Cute, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-27
Updated: 2019-07-27
Packaged: 2020-07-23 06:13:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20003626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VivaJayne/pseuds/VivaJayne
Summary: Natsu has an errand to run. Nothing fancy, just some batteries, a quick snack, and… a life lesson?





	A Philosophy to Live By

**Author's Note:**

> Hey all! It’s been a while since I added to this series, so I thought I’d throw a little something together. I’ve been spending all my time working on my Harvest Moon stories, so check them out if you have a chance!

“I don’t understand why I had to go.”

Natsu roamed aimlessly through the short aisles of Joe’s Convenience, searching fruitlessly for a pack of watch batteries.

“You were the only one not doing anything,” Gray’s voice drifted lazily through the phone line, grating Natsu’s last nerve. “You could at least try to make yourself useful for once.”

“You wanna say that again to my face?” Natsu growled, his fingertips beginning to sizzle. The guild was knee deep in renovations, taking advantage of the beautiful summer weather. They were installing a new kitchen, one that would let members have some access to appliances.

“When I see you tomorrow, you bet your ass I will.” Gray fumbled with something in the background, following a slurry of hushed voices. “I gotta go. Don’t forget to bring them in the morning!”

“I won’t forget,” Natsu groaned, slipping his phone into his pocket before Gray could respond. They’d made a lot of progress today; the shelves were coming together seamlessly, and the tiles were ready to be grouted. Another week of dedicated work, and the new kitchen would be done.

Natsu sighed. He didn’t know where the hell to look for watch batteries! Gray told him they needed new ones for some of the additions, like a massive clock for the wall, but he didn’t give enough detail. Natsu doubted he would find the stupid things at all, let alone get the right kind.

Absently, he plucked a bag of flaming hot hickory sticks from the shelf.

“At least this trip won’t be totally fruitless,” he grumbled, eying a bottle of soda. He hadn’t eaten since lunch, and Lucy said supper wouldn’t be ready for another two hours. He could eat on his walk home and she’d never know the difference.

Except she would. Somehow, Lucy always knew when he was hiding something.

Maybe Natsu would get her something too. That way, he’d come across as the wonderfully thoughtful boyfriend. She wouldn’t get mad at him for that, right?

Natsu frowned. He wasn’t used to being in a relationship, and he messed up a lot, but Lucy was always patient with him. Still, he felt guilty when he upset her.

Lucy’s favourite snack was pretzels. Natsu could grab her some of those, maybe a bottle of milk, and that would be good wouldn’t it? His hand hovered over the bag, undecided.

“Lost in thought, Salamander?”

Natsu nearly jumped out of his skin. Gajeel appeared at his side, grinning like he’d won the lottery.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you puzzle that hard,” Gajeel teased, poking Natsu in the shoulder. “Smoke was coming out of your ears.”

“Shut up, iron breath.” Natsu bristled. He wasn’t in the mood to be made fun of. “I’m trying to figure out if I should bring Lucy a snack.”

“You have to think about it?” Gajeel snorted, reaching past Natsu to snag a pack of licorice from the display.

“You don’t?”

“Of course not,” Gajeel raised an eyebrow at him, adding a can of cola to his armload. “The answer is always yes.”

“Even if she didn’t ask for anything?” Natsu challenged. Lucy rarely craved anything, except during her time of the month, and that was last week. He found it hard to believe that Levy did either, with how small she was, but Gajeel was quickly gathering a massive collection of foods that was difficult to balance even for him.

“Especially then,” Gajeel countered. “It doesn’t matter. If she asked, get something. If she didn’t, get something. If she _specifically told you_ not to get her anything, get something.”

“Why?” Natsu’s face scrunched. He’d heard Gajeel spout some weird things before, but this one definitely topped the list.

“Let me give you some sage advice,” Gajeel rumbled, loosing one of his hands to drop it on Natsu’s shoulder. He balanced his snacks precariously in one arm, his red eyes leveling Natsu with an intense stare. “No matter what, _always_ get your girl a snack when you go to the store.”

The two men stared at each other for half a beat longer than Natsu was comfortable with. His eyes darted away and back again, unsure if the other dragon slayer was joking or not.

Eventually Gajeel straightened, rearranging his purchases to a more comfortable distribution.

“Take it from an old pro,” Gajeel winked, his taunting demeanor returning as fast as it disappeared. “You don’t want to face her wrath if you come home empty handed.”

While Natsu was still pondering that, Gajeel made his exit.

What was that all about? Natsu was left scratching his head in wake of his unexpected run-in with Gajeel. Wrath? Really? Were snacks that important?

Natsu eyed the bag of hickory sticks he still had in his hand. Gajeel had only been dating Levy a little bit longer than Natsu had been with Lucy, what made him the expert anyway? Lucy knew he was going to the store, if she wanted something then she would’ve asked! Gajeel was just trying to get under his skin, that’s all.

Natsu made his way towards the counter. Lucy wouldn’t be upset with him, not for something that trivial. What did Gajeel know? Natsu was dating Lucy, not him. He didn’t have to take advice from him.

“Will that be all?” the clerk asked pleasantly. Natsu hesitated, coins weighing heavily in his hand. Gajeel was probably joking, but did he really want to risk…?

“Uh, no, actually,” he muttered, pointing to the shelf next to the cash register. “Can I also get a bag of pretzels?”


End file.
